Ground Breaker Squash Ale

The Squash Ale by Ground Breaker

300 Pounds Of Squash!

I finally found time to give the Squash Ale from Ground Breaker Brewing a try! And it couldn’t be better timed, as my local temperatures begin to drop into the single digits…I’m definitely in need of dark fall brew.

This Squash Ale was released as a seasonal treat for the Fall of 2016. This brew had 300 POUNDS of roasted squash added into the mash, kettle and fermenter. A tripple-squashed brew that Ground Breaker releases annually.

The squash is all supplied from a local family farm called Love Farm Organics. Ground Breaker collects the squash, at which point it is sliced, quartered, seeded, and roasted in a local dedicated gluten free bakery’s oven. The Squash Ale contains over twenty-five pounds of Connecticut Field and Sugar pie pumpkin per barrel!

The Squash Ale Taste Test

The color is a thick and cloudy dark brown. Looks like a glass of dark roast coffee. Pours with a beautiful head that lasted several minutes. It smells thick, nutty and chocolaty, like a stout or porter. I filmed a video of the pour…look out for it on the @glutenfreebeers Instagram!

The carbonation is very light. I would prefer a bit more bubble though. It boasts a heavy body with a balanced taste and very little bitterness. (40 IBU, to be exact) It’s sweet–but surprisingly not too sweet. It’s carmel-y without being syrup-y.

Ground Breaker’s one-of-a-kind seasonal is “triple-squashed.” Squash is added to the mash tun, boil kettle, and fermenter. Seeds are toasted, crushed, and also added to the mash. The ale has a “wet-squash” addition to the fermenter which consists of squash that has been slow roasted for several days into a creamy squash butter. -www.groundbreakerbrewing.com

Besides the (slightly) light carbonation level, I must say…I love it. It’s a fantastic seasonal offering. I would happily make the Squash Ale my winter season go-to. It has an excellent balance of body and flavor.

It’s alcohol content comes in level with the Coffee Pale Ale at 5.8%. This experimental brew was a 2016 autumn release, but I hope we continue to have access to it into the winter months.

I must not be the only one that likes it, because this beer is on it’s 6th production round. If you miss it this year, you’ll probably get another chance next year. :)